Amit Panghal secured his spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics by defeating Liu Chuang of China in a unanimous 5-0 decision during the men’s 51kg quarterfinals at the World Boxing Qualifiers in Bangkok on Sunday.
He became the second Indian male boxer to qualify for the 2024 Olympics after Nishant Dev booked his place by beating Moldova’s Vasile Cebotari 5-0 in the men’s 71kg event.
Amit will join Nikhat Zareen (women’s 50kg), Preeti Pawar (women’s 54kg), and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (women’s 75kg), who secured their spots to Paris via wins at the Asian Games 2022.
At 28 years old, Amit was a former World No. 1 in the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) 52kg category, making him the first and only Indian male boxer to achieve this feat and win a silver medal at the World Boxing Championships.
Born into a farming household in Rohtak, Amit was inspired by his elder brother Ajay Panghal, an amateur boxer, to pursue the sport.
READ | Amit Panghal secures Paris Olympics ticket
Under the guidance of Anil Dhankar, Amit ascended through the ranks in the junior level.
In 2017, at just 21 years old, he made waves by winning gold in his senior nationals debut. The same year, he secured bronze at the 2017 Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
While he didn’t clinch a medal at the 2017 World Championships, his performances garnered international recognition.
His silver at the Commonwealth Games and gold at the Asian Games the following year further solidified his reputation.
Standing at just 5’2” tall, Amit opted to move up a weight class to compete in the 52kg division, achieving his first major victory in the new category at the 2019 Asian Championships where he won gold.
Later in the same year, he secured a silver medal at the World Championships after losing to Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan in the final.
Amit, the sole Indian boxer to win a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games, relinquished his title at the 2023 Games in Hangzhou due to World Championships bronze medallist Deepak Bhoria’s selection.
While Tokyo Olympics did not go as per plans for the Indian after his opening round shocking loss to 2016 Rio Olympic silver medallist Yuberjen Martinez of Colombia 4-1, Amit did not lose hope.
Prior to the 2023 Asian Games, he claimed India’s second boxing gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Amit’s consistent performances earned him the Arjuna Award in 2022.
Notably, Amit emerged as a key contender at the qualifiers, marking his comeback after Indian boxers failed to secure a single quota place at the Olympic qualifying event in Busto Arsizio. He replaced Deepak in the men’s 51kg event.
(With inputs from Olympics.com)